


Pain and Loathing in Afghanistan

by TenebrousAuspex



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Philosophy, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn, mostly plot, some porn, written with love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-01 15:30:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6525874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenebrousAuspex/pseuds/TenebrousAuspex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teagan is a Diamond Dogs Scout, and he always seems to get himself in the worst situations. Having joined the Diamond Dogs while on the search for the person who killed his family long ago, He is given the codename Tenacious Meadowlark for his willpower, attitude, and place of birth, and assigned to scouting out the field of operations for Big Boss. Get in, get the intel, and get out. That was his daily assignment. Until a series of events takes place that not only changes his life, but the lives of others on Motherbase as well. Adversity, Betrayal, and Vengeance, will be found along the way. They will affect everyone, but in what way? And how will it change the future of Motherbase?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Meadowlark And The Butterfly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Quiet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quiet/gifts).



**_Kabul, Afghanistan_ **

_**09:39** _

_Late morning brought the light of the Afghani sun blazing down over the desert, sand blowing audibly in the wind and shifting beneath him with each_ _step._

Tenacious Meadowlark squinted his eyes, wishing that the clouds from moments before had never left the sky. He raised his hood over his balaclava, blocking the sunlight threatening to blind him were he to look up. His iDroid informed him of an incoming enemy just as he was about to take a drink from his canteen, and he quickly got down, letting himself blend in with the sand. He opened up his iDroid map, only to see a red circle of enemy presence disappear from the edge of his map, travelling fast. "…What the hell?" He spoke to himself under his breath, hastily looking around from the safety of the greenery he'd dived into.

An intel transmission came over his radio, the voice of his Tactical Instructor coming through. "Be careful Tenacious Meadowlark, we've been getting some strange reports recently, a couple Soviet outposts near your position were found with dead officers, one last night, and one early this morning. Something that was not our doing. We may have an unknown enemy in the field, so tread with caution, and remember your assignment."

"Will do, sir." Tenacious Meadowlark swallowed hard as he took his finger off the transmitter and hooked his radio back on his belt. He slowly rose to a crouch, holding his breath involuntarily as he did a quick three-sixty scan of his surroundings. He couldn't see anything except a few wolves a little ways away, and the outpost his mission was taking him to in the distance.

The scout took a deep breath, beginning his trek once again, staying as vigilant as possible while still making his way to the outpost with haste. It wasn't long before he was in perfect sight of Da Shago Kallai, sweat pouring down his face in his balaclava. He raised his binoculars as he crouched atop the tall dune he'd stopped on, automatically spotting two Soviet soldiers on the outpost's tower before systematically finding six more spread throughout the outpost.

"Shit…" He marked three more as they came around he corner of the main building. When he found no more in sight, he looked at his iDroid map, seeing a couple circles of possible enemy presence still within and behind the outpost's main building. "It's never easy, is it?" He knew the tightened security had to be the cause of the attacks on the nearby outposts, but nevertheless, he made his way closer while remaining out of sight. Tenacious Meadowlark couldn't help but feel tense, ready to raise his tranquilizer pistol at any second as he finally made his way close to the main building, crawling between multiple half-walls, making him almost feel like he was in a trench.

He peeked above a destroyed part of the main building's outer wall, about to fire upon a soldier close to him that just wouldn't move, who was leaning against the wall of the main building. As he rose and was about to pull his trigger, the man's head exploded in a pink mist. Tenacious Meadowlark's eyes opened wide before he found a new spot of cover without wasting any time.

"From the east at a downward angle…" He carefully peeked over the rock he'd hidden behind, searching for any signs of the sniper through his binoculars. As a second shot rang through the air to pierce the shock of the Soviet soldiers, he ducked swiftly, having caught it's direction from the direction the soldier fell as he rose again. "East-Northeast…" He stood once more, his heart pounding in his throat as he spotted a thin green laser. It didn't take him long to follow it, spotting a long barrel coming from a vantage point he could never hope to get to.

_And then he was blinded by green._

He dived towards cover in between the half-walls just before the shot rang. The bullet hit the ground a little ways behind him, but not before going through his right thigh. _They predicted my jump!_ He gripped his leg in pain, groaning as he forced himself to crouch, leaning against the half-wall next to him. He could only hear the sounds of soldiers being picked off one by one, watching bodies hit the ground around him, and hearing it where he couldn't see. He peeked swiftly after the next shot, raising his binoculars once more. _I just need to spot him!_

A shot blew threw his upper left arm as he quickly found the barrel again. His binoculars fell atop the half-wall, his blood joining them. Just after he ducked again, a shot destroyed his binoculars, shattering the lenses of both sides. _Are you fucking serious?!_ He couldn't believe the shots the sniper was making, sitting in the cover of his half-wall and groaning at his pain. He swallowed hard as he quickly drank from his canteen, and a last shot rang out.

Everything was covered in complete silence as he watched a soldier fall from the main building. Only the wind and sand made a sound throughout the outpost after the last soldier's neck broke in his fall. _His neck wouldn't have been used anymore with a hole in his head anyways..._ Tenacious Meadowlark began to realise something as he crouched there. _That sniper could have killed me at any time before that first shot… Why didn't they? Why toy with me_ _like this instead of outright making my brains fly?_

He looked at his arm and leg wounds, wincing a little as he went prone once again, trying to ignore the pain. The intel he'd come for was close, he could feel it. He crawled around the half-walls as carefully as possible, watching the sniper's spot. When he saw a large entryway through a destroyed piece of the main building's outer wall, he bit his lip. He popped a Noctocyanin for heightened awareness, and made a break for it. He listened for the next shot intensely as he bobbed and weaved, diving into the shade of the opening. He heard a shot again, and he felt slightly relieved when it didn't hit anywhere near his position.

He quickly stood while he thought the sniper was busy with some reinforcements that had come, and hopped over a barrier a destroyed wall made. Blood rushing through him with adrenaline, he ran fast as he could up to the door inside, but just as he realised it was locked, a shot hit the wall next to him. Before he could dive into cover behind some sandbags, the laser was in his eyes again, and he tripped over a soldier's empty magazine. He stared at the laser for a moment of complete dread as it aimed at his forehead, before he watched it trail to his Diamond Dogs emblem, and back to his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again seven seconds later, the laser was gone. Not seeing the shadowy figure of the sniper on the hill, or their green laser, he quickly made his way to the door, kicking it in and breaking the lock. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the intel on the desk right before him, glad to still be alive as he walked over to it. He grabbed the intel folder with a small smile, feeling both lucky and accomplished, thoughts of relaxing at Motherbase filling his mind.

_Until he heard a gun click, right behind him._


	2. Salt The Wound

_**Da Shago Kallai, Kabul, Afghanistan** _

**_09:57_ **

"Are you fucking kidding me…?" Tenacious Meadowlark sighed in exhaustion, he couldn't believe his misfortune, finally obtaining the intel after narrowly avoiding death, but ultimately getting caught in the process. He slowly raised his arms, leaving the intel on the desk. "I surrender, I prefer to remain alive."

The man behind him grumbled. "Then don't do anything you'll regret. …Now turn around." There was an Irish accent behind the words.

Tenacious Meadowlark turned around slowly, his arms raised the whole while. He came face to face with a bearded Irishman in combat fatigues, his rough stubble as thick as the smell of the whiskey in his free hand. "Whiskey, in the field of battle? How are you even holding your gun still?" Tenacious Meadowlark gave the Irishman a sarcastic look.

The Irishman took a swig from his bottle, his aim never wavering. "Now you're the one kidding me." He chuckled, holding the bottle up. "This shit is the only reason I'm still alive right now. That sniper tried to hit me a few times, but I'm too drunk to hit." He smirked, pulling back the hammer of his .45. He looked Tenacious Meadowlark in his eyes, the Scout becoming tense. "Killing you wouldn't benefit me in any way, so I'm going to keep this short. I used to be a soldier for the U.N., but you work for none other than Big Boss, if that emblem on your arm isn't a fake. I want to join Big Boss in his cause."

The Diamond Dogs Scout scoffed, raising a brow. "Really? How do I know you aren't just a spy? Big Boss has made a lot of enemies, and you could always be one of them." He looked the Irishman back with a judgemental expression. "I can't risk that."

The former U.N. soldier grumbled once more. "Whatever he does is going to do a hell of a lot more good for the world than anything those jackasses at the U.N. are going to do. All their rules and red tape prevent the real work from being done, and the real work is what I want to do. Big Boss is a living legend, and I am not going to pass up a chance to help him in his cause." The Irishman lifted his gun, aiming it up at the ceiling. The magazine ejected as an empty click rang from his trigger pull, before he threw it to the ground. "Now tell me, how would I help Big Boss if he was dead?" He brought his hand down to the handle of his combat knife.

Tenacious Meadowlark relaxed a little, but brought his hand down to the handle of his tranquilizer pistol nevertheless. "I could take you down right now and be done with this whole charade." He pulled his pistol out, being met with a blade held close to his neck before he could raise his arm.

The Irishman scoffed. "Tell me this, do you really want to take your chances, with the condition you're in? That little peashooter won't kill me before I swing my blade, I don't have two fifty caliber holes in me like you do." He grinned almost devilishly.

Tenacious Meadowlark sighed once again. "Damn, you have a point." He holstered his pistol, the man putting his blade away. "But the intel is mine. If not, then you may as well kill me. I'm not leaving without it in my hands, and I'm taking credit for it."

"You got yourself a deal." The Irishman relaxed, taking a swig of his whiskey once more. "I don't give a damn about the intel, I took an assignment in Afghanistan to join up with Big Boss after finding CFA intel about him showing up here. The U.N. can screw off, I'm joining Diamond Dogs even if it kills me."

Tenacious Meadowlark grabbed the folder happily, squeezing it securely in his hands. "Works for me." He opened it up with a smirk, one that slowly disappeared, reading the Russian. "Tixij…?" He looked at the pictures of the nearby outposts, taken just after the Soviet officers were found dead by their allies. Holes in their heads, or through their hearts, every bullethole the same entry and exit size. He closed the folder back up and put it in his intel case as he realised the holes were extremely similar to the ones in his arm and leg, swallowing hard when he did.

The former U.N. soldier grabbed hold of his personal assault rifle. "So where do we go from here?" He loaded a fresh magazine in, saving leftover bullets from the last in a pouch. "Can you call your helicopter here? Plenty of space outside." Tenacious Meadowlark gave him a wide eyed glance. "I saw your helicopter in the distance, and I knew it wasn't Soviet."

The Scout sighed. "I would, but we would have to destroy the Soviet's anti air radar, it would send off an alert to all the surrounding bases if Pequod got too close, and they might send in a chopper of their own. Thing is, I didn't bring any explosives. Before you and… the sniper, came along, I was trying to be in and out of here without being seen."

The Irishman grinned once again, putting a cork in his whiskey bottle and placing it in it's bag, before he produced three grenades. "I toss two of these under it and throw a live one under there with them, that big radar dish is toast." He pointed at a dead Soviet Sniper coming halfway through a window, a sniper rifle under his arms. "Grab his rifle, I have a feeling that sniper isn't gone just yet."

Tenacious Meadowlark picked up the rifle with a tense grip, taking a deep breath as he stood up and grabbed the Soviet Sniper's ammo pouch, loading the large bullets in like clockwork, cracking his neck when he was done. He quickly made his way back to the door, and the Irishman kicked it open, running out. The Scout followed, looking through his scope at every place he could think of the sniper hiding.

He let the Irishman run ahead a little as he ran up the outside stairs to get a better look, his rifle moving left and right as he continued to search through it's scope. After the Irishman had tossed his dormant grenades under the anti air radar, Tenacious Meadowlark felt as though the sniper really had disappeared, subconciously reaching for his binoculars for a wide view, before he remembered how destroyed they were.

Only a second later did he see the green laser pointing at his heart.

He'd been caught off guard, his heart pounding with adrenaline and fear as he barely held his rifle. It wasn't long after that the Irishman was ready. "Fire in the hole!"

It was in that moment that Tenacious Meadowlark remembered the intel file, what the Soviets had named the sniper crossing his mind. "Quiet!" The laser, swifter than a cheetah, aimed at the red metal barrel next to him, and he didn't even have time to move. Both explosions happened at once, the Scout falling, the Irishman rising in success. The Irishman ran back to Tenacious Meadowlark's position, finding him in the sand, a few deep cuts and light burns along his right side.

The Irishman grabbed his canteen and poured the little sparks of flame out on the Scout's clothes, the cold icy water waking him up. "Holy fucking shit, don't EVER do that again! Why do you keep ice in there?!" Tenacious Meadowlark hissed at his pain, feeling the lightly scarred tissue of the right side of his face and body. "Fuck this hurts…" He shook his head, standing up with a painful groan as he regained full conciousness. "We need to get inside, the sniper blew a barrel up next to me!"

The two ran inside once more, the Scout calling Pequod immediately to their position. "This is an emergency, Pequod, be ready for evasive maneuvers after you pick us up. I have a possible volunteer for Diamond Dogs, and I can vouch for his skill and help in completing my mission. Just move swift, and watch for a green lasersight, we don't need more injuries to treat, let alone deaths."

Pequod came in over the radio. "Roger, be ready for immediate extraction!" The Scout turned to the Irishman and the two nodded to each other, waiting for the arrival of Pequod in cover, weapons ready.

The Irishman grumbled. "This is ridiculous, what sniper is that good, we should have killed that asshole already."

Tenacious Meadowlark shrugged. "The Soviets call them Quiet. Not sure what to make of that, but the intel folder is pretty gruesome, so trust me when I say that you do not want to be in that green laser's sight for very long. It's a death sentence. I think I even saw a single death caused by a grenade. Perfectly executed." He peeked out the window carefully. "I know I can beat him/her/whatever, I just can't get a perfect lock on their position no matter how close I look." He looked over his rifle and took a couple Pentazimin.

They both remained silent, the stillness of everything outside making them both paranoid. The Irishman pulled the Soviet Soldier out of the other window with caution, allowing himself a better view. But it was then that he tensed up, a sound alerting him. "What was that?" The door to the building had swung wide open before the Scout's eyes. The Irishman had jumped out a half second after. Breaking through the lone window, the Scout gained a few cuts and a ripped off hood. The Irishman however, remained unharmed.

Pequod could be heard clearly, the pilot's favourite song playing over his loudspeakers as he flew full speed. Pequod pulled down as quick as he safely could, watching the Scout and the Irishman scrambling for different spots of cover. Rifle shots pelted walls near them as they only luckily dodged. When the two had hopped in the back, Pequod took off quick, obtaining a couple holes in his hull.

The Irishman grabbed the minigun and pelted the building with a hail of bullets, grinning as they got farther from the place of death. "I'm gonna live to drink another day, you sneaky bastard!" He laughed as he released the triggers, quickly hopping in and closing the door. As the Scout pulled his balaclava off for better head motion, he swore he saw something jump from the roof of the building's tower and out of sight.

He closed the other door quick, his heart racing. "That was terrifying…" He groaned as he sat down. "Not to mention fucking painful." Tenacious Meadowlark looked to the Irishman, who went straight to drinking his whiskey once again, waving his arm at the Scout, having escaped without a scratch.

The Scout took the Intel folder out once again, looking it over. The second he read the sniper's name again, he inhaled sharply, remembering the laser aiming at his Diamond Dogs emblem. It was then that a revalation came to him swiftly, like a smack to the face. He spoke under his breath, eyes going wide as he finally realised it, almost dropping the folder.

_This is why the sniper didn't kill me._


	3. Gunsmoke Crucible

**_Abe_ _Shifap_ _Ruins,_ _Kabul,_ _Afghanistan_**

_**11:42** _

_The sun beat down hard upon the desert that day, sending every animal and man into the shade, high noon soon to arrive, and the blowing wind only giving small respite. And yet, despite the_ _wind, everything felt still, as if stuck in time, the absolute silence of the area intimidating in it's own right._

Teagan pulled his balaclava off as the ruins came in sight. He was sent to scout out the area, due to reports of Soviet patrols dying on their way through it, but he wasn't expecting the immense heat. He let out a thankful sigh as his iDroid informed him of cloudy weather on the way, carrying his balaclava all the way to the ruins, before letting it blow away in the wind as he reached the entrance, watching it get carried in an abstract way.

"Screw it, it's not like identification would keep the sniper from killing me anyways. There's no way they'll let me live a second time…" He was used before, and he knows it. _The sniper no doubt is targeting Big Boss, they let me_ _live to give him dangerous intel, and a tale of death, for that exact reason. And I know when my usefulness has become irrelevant._ He looked around at the ruins as he entered them, raising his new and improved binoculars to get a better grip on his surroundings. He swallowed hard once he took notice of all of the possible high vantage points, remembering the pictures in the intel folder, and the real life evidence he'd seen moments before that.

He closed his eyes for a moment and simply listened, the wind blowing a little harder as the clouds began to cover the area in shade, the sunlight piercing through in small spots. He could hear the waterfall a little ways away, as well as the flowing stream that ran through nearly the whole area. The only sound in the ruins that stood out from nature was a tune, a slight melody that was carried upon the wind, one that both made his muscles tense, and made his heart pick up speed. He couldn't explain the shiver that was running down his back, …until a shot rang in the distance, a bullet flying right past his ear.

He dived behind a stone wall, swallowing two Pentazemin before carefully peeking over it. He could see the trail of the laser sight, green, just like before. It was the same sniper that had ambushed him before. He quickly rose his binoculars and saw… a woman. He got back in cover not a second after, a bullet missing him by a half an inch.

He blinked three times. _It **is** a she!_ He readied his rifle in his hands, loading the large tranquilizer rounds in. He took a deep breath as he finished, preparing himself. He could hear her humming on the wind more clearly as he saw her laser tracing around his area. He closed his eyes once more, focusing on her humming. Blocking out everything else and gripping his rifle tight as he did.

_She wants a duel… then I'll give her_ a _good one. I'm not going to be an easy target. I didn't train my ass off the past two days for nothing!_ He rose up with his legs at an angle, his rifle laid across the stone as he aimed right above her head, pulling his trigger just a second before she pulled hers. He opened his eyes wide upon seeing he actually hit her, before she jumped off of the archway. He rose his binoculars in confusion and shock before his jaw dropped as he saw her land safely and then dash with incredible speed to a ruin nearby.

He could only follow the trail of sand she left in her wake, and the sound of each dash forward. He heard her shoot again before he could pinpoint where she was. He jumped down the hill as he had planned, but recieved a shot in the leg once again. It went straight through his thigh, and he cursed as he landed. Almost growling at the pain, he forced himself up to a crouch. He quickly made his way down to a broken bridge, limping slightly. Hiding behind some of the bricks that made it up, he bit his lip to stay silent.

He peeked out with his binoculars once more, seeing a spot of sunlight peek through the clouds and make a gunbarrel shimmer, before seeing the deadly woman behind it aiming straight at him. He ducked back into cover, the bullet going through the bricks to hit his left hand through the palm. He got down low, groaning again as he pulled out a first aid spray. After applying it to his hand, he tried to grip his rifle with his hand, but was unable to. _Fuck!_

He grit his teeth as he took a deep breath, calming himself. He came out of cover, lifting his rifle with his forearm, pulling his trigger the same time she pulled hers. A shot went straight through the side of his stomach, but his tranquilizer round had hit Quiet in the neck, he watched her take it out of her skin before dashing off again. He coughed up a little blood, dropping his rifle from the physical shock.

He fell to his knees, breathing heavily as he tried to get past the pain. He swallowed back a little blood, and groaned as he picked himself and his rifle up shortly after. He made his way down and under the broken bridge, hearing Quiet dashing around him. He couldn't help but stop in surprise as she stopped right behind him. Knowing she's on the high rocks above the bridge, he ended up with a shot in his upper left arm as he turned around.

He dropped his rifle, but swiftly pulled out his tranquilizer pistol, aiming above her head once more before pulling the trigger. It hit her in the forehead, and he heard her quickly taking it out with a groan as he struggled to cock his pistol again. He lifts it just as she dashes towards him, punching him in his stomach, right where she had shot him before. He is tossed back by the force, but rolls awkwardly as he lands, coughing up more blood as he raises his pistol...

And shoots her in the neck before she can raise her rifle to execute him. He dropped his pistol shortly after, coughing up a little more blood. He looked up to see Quiet fall a couple seconds after reaching the shore, struggling hard against the tranquilizer fluid running through her, before slowly falling asleep. Teagan breathed a sigh of relief, coughing once more as he barely is able to stand himself up, tranquilizer pistol in hand.

He made his way over to Quiet as quickly as he could, seeing her still struggling, standing up weakly. He shoots her in the back, the tranquilizer round making her fall again, and fail to lift herself up. He dropped his pistol, sure he filled her with enough to make a bear sleep. He ran over to her through his pain, seeing her roll over onto her back. He crouches down next to her, pulling out his emergency handcuffs, before getting a weak uppercut to the jaw.

He swatted away the rest of her hits, feeling them get weaker. "Relax already, I'm not going to hurt you..." He barely gets the handcuffs on her, but does so successfully. He watches the black butterfly skin pattern on her face dissolve, absolutely sure of the fact that she was one of the Skulls.

It isn't long after that he hears Miller over his iDroid. "Kill her soldier, that's an order! I don't know how you managed to take her down, but you have to kill her. She's with Cipher!"

Ocelot responded shortly after. "Amazing work Tenacious Meadowlark. You took down Cipher's assassin, even if you almost killed yourself doing so. And alive, no less. I'm inclined to side with Miller, but…" Teagan could hear Miller scoff in the background. "I say you bring her back, we can find out more about her, and just how she got those powers. She might give us valuable information, that would be lost if you simply killed her."

Miller growled over the reciever. "I am your commander, you do what I say! So when I tell you to kill her, you do it! She was going to kill the Boss, and she just tried to kill you!" Teagan heard the two go abruptly silent, and he pulled out his knife. He looked down at Quiet's form, swallowing hard as he slowly lifted his hands to prepare to plunge his blade down into her. His hands are shaking more and more with every passing second, and his muscles are more tense than they had ever been, before…

He threw his knife away, breathing heavily as he punched the ground next to him, before grabbing his iDroid. "I… I can't. I won't kill her, I don't kill women and children, that's my rule."

He heard silence over the line, until he heard Big Boss' voice come through a few seconds after."Bring her back, soldier. But if she makes me regret it… I'll kill her, and then I'll kill _you."_

Teagan swallowed hard at the words, looking to Quiet's face once again. He watched her hair wave a little in the wind, her expression peaceful but slightly restless as she slept. _Her skills are legendary, rivalling those of Big Boss himself… And well, she_ **_is_** _beautiful beyond words. …But what if she doesn't care about being spared, and just tries to kill everyone when she wakes up?_ He took a deep breath and nodded to himself, making his decision, taking responsibility for his actions.

"I understand, Boss." He put his iDroid away, radio silence allowing him to breathe easy. He threw a flare a little ways away, and groaned as he carefully lifted Quiet up over his back, being cautious of her body with his grip. Walking over to where the flare landed, he could already hear Pequod in the distance. He shrugged a bit in pain, making sure he had a good but polite grip on Quiet, not wanting to drop her. That was the last thing he wanted to do after practically selling his soul for her.

_Hurry up, Pequod…_


	4. Pins and Needles

_**Motherbase,** **Seychelles** **Waters**_

_**12:03** _

Teagan wasn't sure what to do. Walking past Quiet's cell, he tried to be as casual as possible. He whistled an old Canadian tune, which ended when he reached the other side of the platform. _Ugh, I'm getting nowhere… But even if I went down there, what would I even say? How could I make her trust me, when I'm the one who imprisoned her?_

He paces in place a bit. _'Hey Quiet, sorry for getting you locked in a cell, hope we can be friends!' No, **way** too cheesy, ugh… I'm overthinking this._ He takes a deep breath, trying to summon up the courage to go down the stairs to her cell before anyone can see him. Turning back around, Teagan walked by again, whistling a different tune. But upon further inspection, he stopped.

The signs that had been put up to tell staff to stay away from Quiet's cell had spraypaint on them. He walked up closer, seeing just how harsh the graffiti was. _'Bitch'? 'Talk or die'? Really? 'Slut'?! These guys are a bunch of assholes…!!_ He perks his ears slightly as he hears two staff members coming back from lunch.

"She creeps me out too man, a woman that kills without remorse is no woman at all." He hears them laugh.

"Yeah, and if she's gonna dress like that, she might as well be our whore, ha!" More laughter.

Teagan's fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were cracking on their own. He leans against the railing by the helipad, looking down at his iDroid, watching the staff members out of the corners of his vision. Once they separated, Teagan put his iDroid back on his belt, and made his way over to one.

He looked the man over and the soldier rose a brow at him. "The fuck you want?"

Teagan had to resist the urge to smirk. _It's the one who called her a whore._ "Oh, nothing, nothing at all." He turned up the snark to eleven. "I'm just _wondering,_ do you find the woman in the cell creepy?"

The soldier smiled. "Hell yeah I do, that bitch kills people left and right, and she worked for Cipher."

Teagan's left eyebrow twitched. "Everyone deserves a second chance, don't you think? Boss obviously did. Why not wait until you have proof she's really _that_ bad to pass judgement?"

The soldier scoffed. "The fuck are you saying?"

Teagan looked at the man with a flat expression, his snark reaching maximum levels. "Nothing, just wondering who _possibly_ could have done that graffiti on her signs. Because I think I have a _pretty good_ idea as to who it is."

The soldier pushes Teagan away with force, scoffing in a snooty way at Teagan. "It doesn't matter, that whore should be sucking all our dicks right now! Stupid cunt!"

Teagan rolled his eyes. "You just _had_ to go there, you bloody _asshole!"_ He backslaps the man, and then hits him in the stomach. The soldier fights back, hitting Teagan square in the face, giving him a bloody nose, but that only served to make Teagan's rage greater. Teagan kicks the man in the crotch, and hits him three times in the jaw, all in quick succession, before he head butts him to the ground. He gets ready to kick the man in the balls one more time…

"That's _enough!"_ Ocelot shouted, getting Teagan's attention. "Tenacious Meadowlark, head to the brig, if you refuse, I will force you to. We do not use violence to resolve our problems on Motherbase, no matter how much someone deserves it."

Teagan clenches his fists for a second. "Fine. But don't blame me if Quiet starts doing a lot worse to the other staff, it's their own damn fault, with their fucking graffiti." He walks off towards the Command Platform, and Ocelot looks down at Raging Dolphin.

"As for you, pack your bags and leave. Harrassment of any kind is not tolerated here. We don't need scum like you in our ranks raping our women." Raging Dolphin's eyes widen, Ocelot continuing with a smirk. "I read your psyche file. I thought you could change, but clearly I was mistaken. You really thought they wouldn't tell anyone?" He spits on the man.

"Now, pick your ass up, and get the _fuck_ off my base."

***

Teagan lays on his bed in the brig with a solemn expression, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't believe how things were going. _Ever since I met_ _her, I've had trouble at every corner. I don't know what to do. I don't want her to think she's not welcome, and I… kinda want to get to know her, too. But everything and everyone is standing in my way..._ He began to think about everything leading up to that moment.

After a little while, he sat up, wondering how much longer he was going to be stuck in the brig. _It figures I get put in a cell for **defending** the person in a cell… Sure, Quiet worked with Cipher, but she saved me **and** the Boss, why does every other staff member treat her like shit?_ He sighs, talking under his breath. "Such bullshit…"

"I wouldn't say that." Ocelot was at the entrance to his cell, chuckling at Teagan's surprise before closing the door behind him. He pulls out a folder similar to the ones Teagan had collected many times before, handing it to him. "That's all of the preparatory information you need on what you've been chosen for. Effective immediately, you are now assigned as the guard for Quiet's cell when she's on Motherbase, and you are also assigned as her Tactical Buddy out in the field."

Teagan's jaw dropped. "Wh-What? I didn't… You thought…?!" He opened up the folder, seeing a long list of operations for him to complete, and pages on what it means to be a 'Tactical Buddy'. He looks up at Ocelot in complete confusion, seeing the man grin.

Ocelot takes a seat across the room in a chair he brought in after unfolding it. "Me and Boss have been thinking things over, and I think this is the best solution to our conundrum. Let me explain: Due to Quiet saving you and Boss from that XOF jet when he escorted you and her back to Motherbase, we knew we could trust her."

He crosses his arms. "She seems to respect him, and was surprised he let her live at your request. At least, that's what we assume is her reasoning for not killing us all." He leans forward then, sighing. "Here's the thing, Miller is completely against her working alongside Boss. Her skills in battle are vaulable and would prove useful to him, but Miller won't budge."

Ocelot points to the folder in Teagan's hands. "But after your fight today, I finally thought of a work around: You and her will work together with another team to complete Side Operations for Boss. Boss has a lot to do every day, and he can't save everyone all the time, between taking care of things here on Motherbase, and fighting Cipher out in the field, he has limited time for much else. That's where you four come in. Well, five, if you count the wolf."

Teagan flips to a page showing his picture, Quiet's, the Irishman's, and a man he'd never seen before, all known intel about them next to each picture. "The wolf?" He sees a picture of a wolf with a knife in it's muzzle, a paperclip holding it next to the picture of the man he didn't know. "This is a joke, right? I got into a fight, I didn't win the Nobel Prize. And a wolf, _seriously?"_

Ocelot chuckles once again. "This is very real, I assure you. Quiet was hesitant about it at first, but after Boss told her that it was what he needed her to do, she seemed fine with it. Although she did seem to be frustrated that she was being told what to do." He smirks, before standing out of his chair, folding it back up.

When he looks to Teagan once more, Ocelot's face is serious. "Listen Teagan, I know you might have a thing for her, but you have to remember that the mission comes first. Don't be distracted. Impress her through your actions, and don't make her regret being your Tactical Buddy." He opens the door. "Now, report to Quiet's cell, talk to her a little, introduce yourself. She barely knows you."

As Teagan left his cell, heading for the exit of the brig, Ocelot shouted to him from down the hall. "Your first assignment is tomorrow morning, don't be late!"

***

Teagan swallowed hard as he reached the top of the steps, his hand on the railing. He took a deep breath before heading down the stairs, looking left as he made it to the bottom. _I can do this, just be respectful, be **honest.**_ He took a step towards the cell, seeing Quiet's sunbathing form upon her bed as he got closer. He kept a polite distance from the cell as he walked to her side, looking at her face. _She's not going to_ _look at me, of course. …I can deal with that._

He took another deep breath as he looked up at the ceiling, leaning against the wall. "So, I guess we're 'Tactical Buddies' now, heh…" He looked to her unmoving face, and sighed, looking down. "Look, I know you have no reason to trust me. I'm the reason you're behind bars in the first place, but…" Teagan looks back at her eyes. Quiet simply stares into the sky, like she was doing the whole time.

 _I wish she'd_ _look back at me…_ "I trust you, Quiet. I've always believed everyone deserves a second chance, and when you saved me and Boss from that jet…" He smiles a little upon remembering the moment, how absolutely amazing he thought it was when Quiet did that. Big Boss didn't speak the whole rest of the way, except for once again telling Miller that he would deal with whatever problems arose. _Big Boss_ was impressed by her.

He looks away from her once more. "I just thought you were someone I could trust. I understand if you don't trust me, but I trust you. Your skills are… mythic, like those of Big Boss himself. And the duel we had… That was the most intense fight I've ever had in my life! But…" He breathes. "I just don't know what you think of me." He leans forward off the wall, turning back to the stairs. "But I know I don't deserve to know…"

He opened his eyes wide as he looked back, seeing Quiet out of her cell, before getting his neck pressed between her forearm and the wall. He keeps his arms to his sides, not wanting to provoke her, looking away in slight fear. "I don't mean you any harm, I don't do that. I don't stab people in the back, especially people that I trust. I don't screw with people's heads either, I'm nothing like those assholes at Cipher!"

He can feel her continued glare as she pulls his knife out of it's sheath, putting the blade to his throat. "I know you're stronger and more skilled than I am, but I admire that, I don't judge you because of it. I don't care about stupid jealousy like those other assholes up there do." He looks down at the floor slowly, clearing his throat. "I would rather die than kill you, and I would never let you get hurt in battle and not do anything about it. Hell, …I feel like I don't even deserve to look in your general direction."

The sound of the knife impaling the wall made him look up once again, before his jaw was grabbed by Quiet. He let her control his head, before looking straight into her eyes. Her glare pierced into his soul, and yet, he couldn't help but stare. Her eyes were enchanting, their green colour intoxicating. He looked into her eyes with wonder and awe, and Quiet rose an eyebrow at that, pressing her arm against his throat much harder than before. Teagan didn't get angry or fearful no matter how much he couldn't breathe, he only looked back at her with a pleading gaze. …He wasn't lying.

She let go of him, watching him breathe heavily before looking back up at her. Quiet pointed at his eyes with two fingers, and then pointed at her own, giving him a solemn look afterwards. He nodded at her, understanding what she was saying. _Just look her in her eyes, huh? ...That won't be hard._ He swallowed hard as she looked away, turning away and seeing her phase back into her cell out of the corner of his eye.

He looked back at her to see her once again sunbathing, but laying on her front. "I won't let you down, Quiet. I will be the best war buddy I can be for you, I swear on my life. …Well, I already did, in a way, but-" He watched her begin to bend her legs and cross her ankles, his jaw slowly dropping, and promptly turned to the stairs. Making his way to the steps with haste, his words became unsure. "See you in the morning, I guess!"

Quiet could only roll her eyes and scoff.


	5. Shadows and Tranquilizers

_**Kabul, Afghanistan, near Yakho Oboo Outpost** _

**_4:13_ **

_The helicopter flew through the air carefully, avoiding detection, on the lookout for an opportune hole in the enemy air waves. The extended time it took to get to the landing zone gave it's passengers an even thicker air of tension and awkwardness, one that the pilot was getting sick of, and knew only he could break._

Pequod cleared his throat, turning on his microphone. "Hey, Tenacious Meadowlark, is it true you kicked a guy in the balls for painting graffiti on Quiet's signs?" He turned autopilot on and looked back for only a second, going back to piloting when he saw the angry unbelieving look Teagan was giving him.

Quiet looked to Teagan slowly, tilting her head in the most curious way, waiting for him to say something back. Teagan could hear the pilot snickering, and the scout sighed, before looking Quiet in her eyes. "He also wouldn't stop calling her a slut and saying that she should be performing sexual acts on everyone, so _yeah,_ I kicked him in the dick. And I did it fucking _hard,_ too. I would have done it three more times if I hadn't been interrupted."

Teagan's fists were tight from remembering it, but Quiet looked into his eyes with a solemn gaze, blinking for once. That made his fists loosen. Teagan didn't want to overreact, but he did want to tell the truth. "Okay, maybe six." He watched Quiet raise a brow and give him shifty eyes, and he looked away shyly. "Just saying…"

_Pequod wasn't laughing anymore._

***

**_4:18_ **

Teagan couldn't be happier to get off of the helicopter, taking a deep breath as he landed, before looking up and checking his surroundings. _Now that joker_ _can't say anything stupid..._ He watched Quiet hop off of Pequod and land near him, looking around with a raised rifle, ready for battle should it arrive.

Teagan put his hand to his microphone, having set it to only send sound to his Tactical Buddy. "Quiet." She looked to him with a flat face, before nodding at him and going back to searching for targets. Teagan sighed, turning off his microphone and bringing up his iDroid, marking the two places they were supposed to go, Yakho Oboo, and a guardpost nearby. He'd read the mission briefing, knowing that their mission was comprised of two parts.

First, they were to extract a prisoner from Yakho Oboo without being seen, bring the prisoner to an LZ, then send Pequod back with the prisoner, after taking their lethal equipment, of course. Then, they were to eliminate heavy infantry at the guardpost, using whatever means necessary, before holding their position until Pequod can get back to them.

It sounded simple on the iDroid, but Teagan knew it was going to be much more intense. It always was. A transmission came in over their buddy comms shortly after, a man with a British accent speaking. "This is Furtive Jackal, have you landed, Tenacious Meadowlark and Quiet? Drunken Wolf and I are at an outpost one-thousand five-hundered meters away, along with my pet wolf, Sherlock. We can assist you two if need be, so long as we can expect the same from you."

Teagan heard Quiet hum in only slight agreement over the comms, and cleared his throat. "Thanks for the offer, guys, but we can handle it. It's just our first mission. Just… Do your mission, I guess. I'll buy us all some donuts and coffee back at Motherbase. …And some whiskey too, I guess."

He looked to Quiet for a second. "As well as whatever Quiet wants." Quiet rolled her eyes and sighed as she then tried to focus on watching out for enemies once more. Teagan felt his cheeks warm up a little, and he shook his head, trying to remain serious. "Going silent, see you guys on the other side."

Drunken Wolf came in over the comms. "Don't you mean, going _Quiet?"_ Teagan buried his face in his hands as he heard Quiet almost groan in disgust at the horrible pun. He had to take a deep breath before he could speak again.

Teagan took his hands off his face, and turned on his microphone. "Come on, man, even Quiet thought that was bad." He didn't hear anything more, but he still swore he could hear the Irishman laughing in the distance. He double-checked his weapons before crouching.

He swallowed hard, saying her name with meaning. "Quiet." She looked at him once more, and he gave her the signal to scout out Yakho Oboo. Quiet nodded again before putting her rifle on her back and dashing towards the outpost. Teagan took a deep breath before taking off at top speed, following the path Quiet was taking to get to Yakho Oboo. He knew he couldn't hope to keep up to her, but it was always fascinating to watch her use her powers when he could.

He smiled a little as he lost sight of her, thinking that the day would be a good one. He was able to follow her trail, and made his way to a small cliff that overlooked the outpost. Quiet gave him an affirmative hum, sending him the intel on his iDroid. _Eighteen Soviet soldiers…? Who the hell are we saving?!_ He blinked twice before seeing where the prisoner was. If Teagan was careful, he could make his way there without being seen.

But that was the least of his worries. There were _three_ prisoners. He knew Quiet wouldn't send false intel. _…Would she?_ He swallowed hard, speaking under his breath into his microphone. "It's never easy, is it?" Quiet hummed in a mocking way over her microphone, and Teagan put his palm to his face, recognising his mistake.

He knew that complaining wouldn't earn him any respect from Quiet, no matter how sarcastic his complaints were. The scout had also painted himself weak. _That_ **_was_** _stupid to say..._ He took a breath and cracked his knuckles. He deftly hopped off of the cliff and onto the walkway of a guard tower without being seen, his breathing slow and silent.

He slowly snuck over to the sniper that was on guard, and grabbed him by the neck, choking him out and knocking him out cold. He took a deep breath, relaxing a little, knowing he was _that_ much closer to his target. He shot a tranquilizer pistol at the guard's forehead, and then proceeded downwards.

Teagan put a tranquilizer bullet into the head of a guard next to him once he made it to the lower level. He was still on the roof of the outpost, but if he wasn't careful, he'd be easily seen. He got down low, hearing Quiet humming over their personal communication channel, letting him know that she was looking out for him should anyone spot him.

He swallowed hard, _hoping_ that was the reason she was humming, at least. He made it over the room before the one the prisoners are in, but wasn't sure as to how he'd deal with the two guards below him. He looked around at the remaining guards who weren't asleep, and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

He grabbed his frag grenade, and threw it as hard as he could while remaining hidden. But what he wasn't expecting was seeing a bullet hit his grenade, and send it right into the power supply for the base. Quiet hummed in a confident way, but Teagan knew it was her before her proud couple of hums confirmed it.

He knew it could have _only_ been her. Teagan dropped down into the building. What was going to be a minor distraction was made a major one by Quiet, and he wasn't going to waste any time. He shot both of the guards in the room, one in the neck, and one in the temple. They never saw him coming. Teagan could feel the adrenaline pumping through him, inspired by Quiet's near-impossible shot.

He quickly made his way over to the door that led him to the prisoners, unlocking it in a few seconds. He opened the door, the three prisoners all surprised and in varying states of fear. Teagan aimed his pistol downwards. "I'm here to get you out, follow me." He was glad to know the prisoners could walk, turning around and raising his pistol once more.

He listened to the soldiers outside, many of them going to investigate the cause of the power outage, and a few staying behind to further protect the prisoners. He heard the three guards heading towards the door at the other end of the room, before he heard one of them fall to the ground with a thud, Quiet's humming almost playful.

Teagan ran to the door and kicked it open, catching the other two off guard as they were looking at their sleeping friend. He shot one in the back of the head, and Quiet shot the other right on the bridge of his nose. Teagan took a breath, the prisoners shambling out behind him. He looked up at Quiet with a smile, gave her a thumbs up, and motioned towards the back gate, up to the cliff he dropped down from.

He saw her nod and dash off to another position, before turning to the prisoners. "Come on, we just have to climb this hill and I'll get you guys to food and safety." He hoped they understood him. He lead them to the back door of the outpost, kicking it hard enough a couple times so as to break the lock. He picked up a spare assault rifle the soldier at the back door had left leaning on the wall, guarded the prisoners as they all made their way up the hill, and threw the assault rifle down after the last of them was at the top.

He wiped his brow of sweat, and ran up after them, walking a little fast as he led them further from the outpost. Once they were a safe distance from the outpost, Teagan finally relaxed, pulling out his iDroid and calling Pequod to the LZ. He turned to the prisoners. "Okay, so I'm going to hand you off to Pequod, he'll take you to Motherbase, where we'll get you all fixed up and fed."

The prisoners all sat down in exhaustion, one of them speaking up, a Russian man with a beard. "Thank you, they barely fed us or gave us water..." Teagan gave the prisoners each a canteen, leaving himself with only one.

The prisoners quickly got to drinking the water, and Teagan nodded to them. "Drink up and relax, I'll help you get in when Pequod gets here." He looked away from them to find Quiet, taking a few seconds to do so, finding her up high, looking out for them.

He brought his hand up to his microphone. "Quiet, that was… _amazing._ Really. There's no other word for it." Quiet hummed in a nonchalant way, pointing her laser between his eyes for a second before aiming away once again. As if to say it was nothing. Teagan smirked at her, and he felt his cheeks warm a little. He took a deep breath before looking up to the sky, watching for Pequod, seeing dawn's colours are starting to paint the sky.

_So far so good…_


End file.
